Shedding Light on #BringBackOurGirls and the Global War on Women

As International Women's Day "is being celebrated", I can't help but think of
the hashtag that set social media worldwide ablaze with protests. Last
April, #BringBackOurGirls called the world's attention to the kidnapping
of 276 school girls — taken from the Chibok Government Secondary School
in northeast Nigeria by terrorist group Boko Haram.

(Photo: Reuters/Gary Cameron)

Protesters
march in support of the girls kidnapped by members of Boko Haram in
front of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington May 6, 2014.

Shocked
and upset by the kidnappings, I participated in one of the real-life
protests held in front of the Nigerian Embassy here in Washington, DC.
Posting hashtags on twitter just wasn't enough; I needed to do more.
So
I joined a frustrated but peaceful group of demonstrators comprised of
people from all walks of life, who were rightfully outraged by this
blatant attack on the lives of innocent young girls.

We
stood in front of the closed gates of the embassy, with our banners and
signs, in earnest hope for solutions. We shared with one another our
concerns and why we couldn't sit back in silence over this issue, in
between speakers addressing us as a group. News cameras and reporters
on-site were diligent in catching every angle of the event.
But as
protestors, our mission was clear; we came to lend our voice to a
growing chorus for the immediate release of the Chibok Government school
girls. The chants that day rose up with passion: "We Want Action Now!"

(Photo: Reuters/Gary Cameron)

Protesters
march in support of the girls kidnapped by members of Boko Haram in
front of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington May 6, 2014.

Our signs lamented 276 Stolen Dreams and showed solidarity, stating We Stand with Chibok. Then we returned to the resounding call to "Bring Back Our Girls!"
It
seemed even the most influential woman in the White House, First Lady
Michelle Obama, wanted to join in the protest. Apparently she thought
the best way to use her voice for this cause was to tweet about it.
(Considering her influence and position, many questioned such online activism when more direct action is needed.)
The Nigerian government, U.S. government and the U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education are
among those who have renewed their commitment to finding the girls. Yet
over 300 days later, a majority of the Chibok school girls are still in
captivity.
Rumored to be sold, converted into another religion, or married off to
significantly older men, these girls need us to sound the alarm now
more than ever for their freedom. Yet where is the social outcry? Where
are the prayer vigils, protests or hashtags?
Perhaps,
unfortunately, we have gotten used to the fact that girls are going
missing in huge numbers all around the world. Because the real war on
women begins in the womb.
In India alone, one million girls are
intentionally aborted each year because of their gender. Seen as a
burden due to an illegal dowry system that is widely practiced, and the
fact that traditionally a son is tasked with caring for his parents in
their old age while a daughter has little contact with her own family
after marriage; has caused a preference for boys and fueled gendercide.
As a result, 50 million girls are missing in India today.
The
lack of women has caused a drastic rise in sex trafficking and
kidnapping of girls as brides to unwed men. China's appalling gender
imbalance of 33 million more Chinese men than women spawns
from over five decades of government-sponsored abortion policies,
resulting in one of the most alarming gendercide rates in the world. East Asian countries such as Taiwan and Singapore, along with other former communist countries, also have perplexing gender disparities.
It would be flawed, however, to dismiss gendercide as an Asian or communist countries' problem. From 1995-2005, fifteen hundred girls went missing among
Indian communities in England and Wales. Topic experts agree that
sex-selective abortions was the only viable explanation for this steep
decline of girls. In the United States between 1991 and 2004, two thousand Chinese and Indian girls were also missing.
And the issue persists today. It's no wonder women and girls are kidnapped and attacked at alarming rates globally.
If
the attempt to silence their voice begins in the womb, the global
outcry should begin here for our missing girls. As world leaders mark
International Women's Day on March 8th, let us renew our efforts to
advocate and be a voice for all missing girls.
The documentary film It's A Girl, currently streaming on Netflix, offers a starting point to understand and act to end gendercide:

This article originally appeared on Bound4LIFE and has been reprinted with permission.Marisa Lengor Kwaning
is a writer, editor and health policy analyst who resides in
Washington, D.C. She earned a Masters degree in Public Policy from
George Mason University, has worked in public health policy, and
currently contributes to Bound4LIFE International, a grassroots movement
to pray for the ending of abortion and for revival worldwide.

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Ambassador T. Brikins is a Writer Blogger, Mass Communications Consultant and Inforpreneur having experiences in the National News Media, Oil and Gas, Administration, University and the Church of Christ..
He is C.E.O. @ New Direction Communications..
He is an ordained Minister and heavily imparted by Dr. David Oyedepo, Pastor E.A.Adeboye, Rev.Roselyn Oduyemi, Kenneth Copeland,Dr. D.Yongi Cho, Apostle Alex Bamgbola, Kenneth E. Hagin, Apostle G. Oduyemi, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, T.L. Osborn,Dr. E.W. Kenyon , Oral Roberts and many more.
Ambassador T. Brikins runs with the visions of Isaiah 11:9; Matthew 23:23 and 11 Corinthians 5:16-21 working with the Lord for their practical expressions in every area of life. .
He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
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